


Safe

by opal_sapphire



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-19 10:06:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20207962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opal_sapphire/pseuds/opal_sapphire
Summary: You're part of the search party for Will, and you get lost in the woods after dark.





	Safe

**Author's Note:**

> I STILL HAVEN'T SEEN S3 YET DON'T SPOIL ME

Oh God, oh _God_. This was supposed to be a small, nice, quiet town. Shit like this doesn't happen in small, nice, quiet towns. Now you were beginning to wonder if there was more to Hawkins than there seemed. Part of you wanted to find out more. Part of you wanted to stay inside your safe little bubble.

First Will Byers goes missing. Then Barb Holland. Now the town is in the beginning stages of a panic, because shit like this doesn't happen here, and yet _here you fucking are_.

You had joined a search party for Will. You were getting tired, so you called in that you were heading home. You had seemed to run into a single problem, though.

You were lost. In the woods. At night. With only your flashlight and a walkie talkie. A walkie talkie that didn't seem to work anymore. And you had the distinct feeling of being watched, only you couldn't find the watcher.

So maybe those were a couple problems, not just one, but right now you didn't give a damn. You just wanted out of these damn woods and darkness and into the safety of your home and, God, just some more light than what your damn flashlight was giving you.

"Does _anybody_ copy?" You tried again with the walkie. "Anyone, _please_, if you can hear me, I-I'm lost."

You waited, counting one, two, three. Nothing. Not even a crackle. You banged the walkie against your hand, frustrated tears pooling in your eyes.

Something rustled behind you, and you whipped around, shining your light every which way. You were entering full-on panic mode now, with no sign of help.

"Who's lost?"

A sob of relief escaped you at the sound of Hopper's voice coming through the walkie. You kept your eyes trained on the expanse of what you hoped were only trees ahead of you as you responded.

"Hopper, it's me, it's Y/N, I'm lost." You spoke quickly, voice cracking. "I'm lost, and I swear to God there's something out here, but I can't see it, so _please_ hurry."

A few seconds passed, and you thought you'd either imagined it or the damn thing was broken.

"Okay, Y/N, I'm coming, honey," Hopper replied. "You're gonna be okay, alright? Just stay on the line with me, you'll be okay."

"Okay."

You forced yourself to take a deep, albeit shaky, breath and stayed put. Your instincts were screaming at you to run, to move, to get away, but you didn't.

"I've got my flashlight on, and I'm alone," you said.

"Wave the light around some."

You did. "At least, I think I'm alone, I keep hearing noises, Hop. It's probably just a deer, right?"

"Probably, yeah."

"Should I just keep waving the light?"

"Yeah, keep waving the light, I'm coming."

You nodded, though he couldn't see you. It was more for yourself.

Rustling came from your right, and you whipped your light to it. You saw nothing, and slowly turned to face it. You heard nothing, saw nothing. That feeling of being watched was worse than before. The hairs on the back of your neck rose, and you had the distinct feeling something was about to happen.

That rustle was too loud to be a deer. Maybe it was multiple deer. Yeah, right. Multiple deer that just happened to move so perfectly in sync that it sounded like one larger animal? Not likely.

It could be a fucking bear, knowing your luck. But that didn't really make sense either. As far as you knew, bears don't fuck with their prey. Which meant it was probably something worse than a bear.

Rustling again where it was before, and you whipped to face it. Then it came from behind you, and you spun again, then on your left, then your right, then behind you, then the way you’d been facing, and there was no way any animal could move that fucking fast, what the fuck was in the woods with you, this is it, this is how you die, there it is again--

The light hit something, and you screamed and stumbled back. You tripped, dropping both the walkie and your light, and fell back on your ass.

You couldn't fucking breathe. All the oxygen was stuck in your throat and not going anywhere. You glanced up, and the light from your flashlight, wherever it had landed, illuminated only a silhouette. You squeezed your eyes shut, and--

"Y/N!"

You opened your eyes. Hopper was crouched in front of you, hands up to show he wasn't a threat and concern etched on his face.

You finally exhaled, choking on a sob as you did, and launched yourself at him. You knocked him back a little, but he caught you and managed to keep you both up. You started crying into his shoulder, and he tightened his grip on you.

You remembered you were still in the woods, and pulled away, sniffling and wiping at your face. You might not be alone anymore, but you still wanted to get the hell out of here. Hopper stood.

"Sorry," you mumbled.

"What the hell happened?" He demanded as he pulled you up.

"I don't know."

He handed your walkie and flashlight back to you. "What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I mean, I don't know! I told who I was with that I was going home because I was tired and I wasn't gonna be any help anymore, and I started going the way I came and then I was just lost. And then something rustled, and at first I thought it was just the wind, but then it happened again but closer, and then from a completely different direction, and the walkie wasn't working and no one answered, and then you did and then the walkie broke again and the rustling got louder and closer and it was everywhere at once and I don't know what the fuck it was or where it is now but I have to get the hell out of here, Hopper."

"Okay, okay, you're okay now, Y/N, breathe."

You had gotten yourself worked up again throughout your explanation, and the tears were coming back. Hopper put a hand on your shoulder, and you took a deep breath.

He lead you out of the woods, talking to you, distracting you. By the time you got back to the road, you were already feeling better.

"Why the hell did you bike here?" He asked.

Your grin was small, but it was there. "Exercise."

He snorted. "Put it in the back of the car. Listen, no way in hell am I letting you ride your _bike_ home after what happened back there, you hear me?" He added when you began to protest.

You rolled your eyes, though he had a point. Once your bike was in the car, you turned to him. "Wait, what about the search party?"

He shot you a look. You swatted his arm, then got in the shotgun seat.

"How big did it sound?" He asked.

You shifted. "About the size of a bear. Sure as hell not a deer."

He gave you a small smile. Then he let the party know about the "bear" over the radio. Once he got confirmation the message had been received, he started driving.

After a minute, the adrenaline began to wear off, and you realized how damn tired you were. You leaned your head back and closed your eyes.

Hopper nudged you a minute later. Never mind, it was more than a minute, because you were outside your house. You blinked a few times. Just a bit ago the place was like a sanctuary to you, and now the thought of having to go in there alone gave a you a sense of dread.

"Thanks," you said, and you knew that he knew you meant more than just driving you home.

You got out and went to the back of the car and got your bike, then started walking it up the driveway. You turned and waved at Hopper, and he waved back.

He called as you reached the front door. You turned.

"You gonna be okay?" He called.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," you lied.

The look on his face told you he didn't buy it. You didn't mention it.

"Will you?" You asked.

"Course I will."

You gave him a thumbs up, then went inside. You immediately turned the lights on. The last thing you wanted right now was to be in the dark.

A knock on the door startled you. You peeked out the living room window and saw Hopper's car still sitting there. You went and cracked the front door, then opened it all the way.

"Did I forget something?" You asked.

"Mind if I stay here tonight?" Hopper replied, coming in.

"I guess, if you want."

You certainly weren't complaining. You didn't want to be alone.

You closed the door, locking it completely, and showed him the bedroom. Your bedroom, since you didn't have a guest room. Technically you did, but you had turned it into a storage room since no one ever stayed over.

"I don't have an extra room," you began, switching on the light.

"Where the hell did you get a king-sized bed?" He cut you off.

You grinned. "Grandparents gave it to me last time I visited them."

"The ones in Maine?"

You nodded. "We can share it, unless you'd rather have the cou--"

"Hell no. That couch is hell."

"You're thinking of your couch."

In the end, you argued over who's couch was better from the comfort of your king-sized bed. You fell asleep that night feeling safe for the first time that night.


End file.
